Concord University President’s Office

President Bethany Meighen, Ph.D

Dr. Bethany Meighen brings more than 20 years of experience in higher education leadership to her role as the 13th President of Concord University, beginning her tenure on July 1, 2025.

Before joining Concord, Dr. Meighen served as Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs for the University of North Carolina System. In this role, she acted as the chief student affairs officer and strategic liaison to the System’s 17 constituent universities, supporting more than 240,000 students across the state. She provided leadership for a wide portfolio of initiatives, including financial aid, admissions, behavioral health, transfer pathways, and student development.

Her system-wide accomplishments include:

• Advancing student mental health and well-being, where she led the administration of multimillion-dollar federal and state grants, launched the UNC System Behavioral Health Convening, and oversaw the expansion of Collegiate Recovery Communities across UNC campuses.
• Serving as administrator for several key programs, including the Cheatham-White Scholarship, the Comprehensive Transition Postsecondary Program Scholarship, and both the Student Blue and GeoBlue student health insurance plans. In these roles, she managed complex policy, compliance, and funding decisions that directly impacted students’ academic access and overall well-being.

Dr. Meighen holds a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership, with a concentration in Higher Education Administration, from the University of North Carolina Wilmington. She earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Human Resource Management from the University of Charleston in West Virginia.

Her career began at her alma mater, the University of Charleston, where she steadily advanced through roles including Graduate Assistant, Director of Alumni Relations, Director of Marketing and Alumni Relations, and ultimately Dean of Student Life. During this time, she established impactful student engagement programs, launched new community service initiatives, and fostered strong partnerships between families and the university.

Dr. Meighen is also a 2023–24 Fellow of the prestigious American Council on Education (ACE) program—recognized nationally as a premier leadership development experience for aspiring university presidents and senior administrators.